The Pensions Regulator has issued new guidance to schemes today, requiring them to provide members requesting a transfer out with additional information and warnings. The full guidance can be read here.
In summary, the regulator is calling on scheme trustees to:
- highlight the free, impartial pensions guidance from Pension Wise, including phone appointments and online information;
- encourage members to take regulated advice to understand their retirement options;
- identify increased risks in how a member has decided to access their pension funds and give appropriate warnings of the risks and implications of their chosen option;
- send all DB members requesting a cash equivalent transfer value (CETV) a template letter signed by TPR, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Money and Pensions Service, which runs The Pensions Advisory Service;
- monitor CETV requests and inform FCA of unusual or concerning patterns, such as spikes or the same adviser across multitude of requests.
New FCA fee for Form A applications
Lisa Cross Compliance 2020, 2022, FCA, Senior Manager, Update
We have been advised by the FCA as follows: “Following our recent revalorisation of the application fees earlier this year, on 24 January we advised that we would be introducing a new charge of £250 for standalone long Form A applications both for Senior Manager Functions and Controlled Function for Appointed Representatives. We […]